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SCMP Reporter

Nation must upgrade 'soft power' levels
I found the article by Anthony Cheung Bing-leung on China's 60th anniversary celebration ('Price of progress', October 7) to be both informative and thought-provoking.
I concur with him that if China's resurgence in the 21st century is to be sustainable, its 'soft power' levels need further upgrading, especially in the rule of law, reining in of corruption, improving living standards for the desperately poor, and pressing ahead with social and political restructuring in parallel with rapid economic growth.
An encouraging sign in that direction is the recent announcement by the CCP leadership that there will be more intra-party democracy introduced which will then expand outwards towards the vast expanse of China's body politic.
Hong Kong's  Charles Kao Kuen has  won the Nobel laureate award for his achievement in fibre optics research, which has created a revolution in the pace of global communications. 
Achievements such as this give reason to hope that China could become a 'prosperous, democratic, harmonious and culturally advanced' country in even less than the 40 years envisioned by Premier Wen Jiabao .
In this regard, the Hong Kong community can play a constructive and significant role under the Basic Law and the 'one country, two systems' principle.
First, Hong Kong cannot under any circumstances forego its status as an economically strong, competitive and vibrant international financial and business centre.
Second, if Hong Kong is to attain universal suffrage by 2020, the different sectors in the community will have to exert their utmost efforts to achieve concrete and binding agreement at each stage of the negotiating process.
Hong Kong residents as a whole are sensible and pragmatic and for this reason I am highly optimistic  about Hong Kong's future.
Hilton Cheong-Leen, president, Hong Kong Civic Association
Knife ban was over the top
I am sure we all felt very proud during the 60th anniversary of the founding of the PRC on October 1.
However, I think the anniversary also reminded us of an irrational culture which still exists on the mainland.  
For several days before October 1, it was reported there would be a ban on the sale of knives in Beijing and that they would be available again after that date.  
I think this was an irrational decision, because all families need knives. 
It showed a lack of respect by the central government for people's human rights.  
The authorities also monitored taxis in the run-up to October 1. 
This news will not have been well received by the international community.  
I think the central government really needs to adopt a change of policy and mindset in this regard, if it wants to move forward.  
Andy Sze, Tsuen Wan 
Public support for legal system
I appreciate Anna Tse really doesn't like judges' clothes to be colonial ('Time to shed colonial legacy in our courts', October 8). However, she is setting herself against a far wiser statesman than any of your correspondents, Deng Xiaoping , in insisting that, contrary to the Basic Law, the Hong Kong legal system should be 'Chinese' rather than Hong Kong common law in nature.
And her two specific complaints, that Hong Kong courts may look to overseas jurisdictions for guidance and that barristers do not take instructions directly from clients, betray a misunderstanding of the system and her insecurity towards it.
On the first, law is a constantly evolving organism and there is no shame, only pride, in the strength of the system that allows it to observe and take the best inputs from relevant overseas judges' insights.
It is not compulsory, and it is always to be done within the framework of Hong Kong laws.
On the second point, the independence of the Bar from the direct pecuniary influence of the client is one of the reasons the Bar as a profession genuinely puts the court first.
This is not to suggest solicitors are not people of integrity, nor that overall costs are cheaper as a result, but it is effective  at insulating the Bar and indirectly the judiciary (judges are mostly drawn from the Bar) from direct commercial pressure.
That is probably why, in most opinion polls, the Hong Kong public seems to have more trust in the Bar (and in politics, barristers) than in any other institution in Hong Kong.
Ms Tse seems out of step with her fellow citizens on this point.
Paul Serfaty, Mid-Levels
Tutors forget primary role
Improving academic results should be the only reason  for students to  attend tutorial classes.
However, in recent years, this has changed. We see adverts for tutors everywhere and some of them have become celebrities.
If a tutorial school and its tutors are simply motivated by economic incentives, then the school serves little purpose.
The emphasis should always be on education. Students should go to tutors who have a reputation for providing good-quality teaching, rather than for being well-groomed.  
Some tutors who are still in their twenties make claims that are difficult to believe. For example, they may say that they worked for a multinational company or that they have some secret formula for success.  
Parents should look carefully at a tutorial school before deciding to enrol their children there. They should not blindly follow the trend of sending their child to a tutorial college. Undertaking extra courses will not necessarily make the student more competitive.  
Students can still get good results without the extra help of tutors if they have tried their best.
Wong Ho-yan, Yau Ma Tei
Government fails  to act
I refer to the report ('Officials powerless to stop landowners cutting access roads', October 13).  
The Hong Kong government has the power to stop this activity as well as  the dumping of rubbish on thousands of other sites. But to do so the administration would have to make decisions that would upset its major backers and partners, namely, the building conglomerates and it is too spineless to do this.  
In addition, the Urban Renewal Authority is  a useless government body. 
It is supposed, I believe, to improve the built environment in Hong Kong. However,  it seems to make so many decisions that only benefit one sector of the community, which is quite naturally the big builders.
Bob Beadman, Ma Wan
Ridge line has vanished
I refer to the report ('Investors are drawn to Kowloon's Masterpiece', October 2).
I consider that the true Kowloon masterpiece is the Lion Rock which historically has formed such an impressive backdrop to our harbour and appeared as a constant guardian to the city. 
In just 11 years since Kai Tak airport closed, the classic views from Hong Kong side of this familiar ridge line have vanished behind the towers and walls that line the northern shore of our harbour, particularly in West Kowloon, Tsim Sha Tsui and Hung Hom. 
I feel that our city is losing its unique identity in order to create 'pass the parcel' investment schemes, catering predominantly to hot money from the mainland. 
Our property market is being overinflated and when the bubble bursts, ordinary Hong Kong citizens will  suffer.
Charlie Chan, Mid-Levels
East and West cannot meet
We would like to thank  Ralph Bishop for his suggestion to extend the West Rail Line  ('Extend service to Fo Tan station', October 5). 
The West Rail Line and East Rail Line currently operate with vastly different signalling systems. As such, it is not possible to operate the West Rail  trains on the East Rail Line. 
Mr Bishop may also wish to note that once the Sha Tin to Central Link commences service, the East Rail Line train service will be extended from Hung Hom across the harbour to Hong Kong Island.
This will further enhance service on the East Rail Line and transform Hung Hom station into a major transport hub in Hong Kong.
James Tsui, media relations manager, MTR Corporation
Puzzled about Mao's cigarette
It is with interest that I noted that after several days and many thousands of photo opportunities that  apm Mall in Kwun Tong took the cigarette out of the hand of the wax figure on display of chairman Mao Zedong . Were there protests or letter-writing campaigns? Did  apm have to call Beijing to ask permission? Did the Central Committee have to make a ruling? 
It was odd that the viewing of the wax figures was covered by the media but no mention was made of the cigarette in the chairman's hand. 
After all the furore over Coco Chanel's cigarette in the MTR posters [advertising the film Coco Before Chanel] one would have thought that the apm Mall would have been packed with demonstrators. 
I wonder how it was that  the mall came to the decision to remove the cigarette from the chairman's hand after displaying it for so many days.  
Charles Swindle,  Ho Man Tin



Letters